Cut the cord with this $10 indoor HDTV antenna

After years of hemming and hawing, I mustered up the courage to cut the cord last year, and I’m happy I did—not just because of the freedom from my cable carrier, but also for the $100 a month my family gets to save.

I’m still paying about $55 a month for broadband cable Internet access, mind you, but I turned in my DVR and costly cable TV subscription in favor of Netflix, Amazon Prime, iTunes and other streaming video services. And what about for live network TV, you ask? I get it all for free, over the air, with a handy dandy indoor HDTV antenna like this one.

On sale for $10, the Channel Master Flatenna (which got a nod from The Wirecutter) is a so-called “leaf” antenna, just like the one I use in my Brooklyn basement. Just connect the Channel Master (also available in white) to your HDTV using the included cable, hang the antenna up on a wall or near a window, and after some trial and error (placement and orientation are key when it comes to reception), you’ll start pulling in razor-sharp local HDTV stations.